


Down, Down, Down

by jujus_writing_corner



Series: Whumptober 2020 [20]
Category: Real Person Fiction, Youtube RPF
Genre: Blood, Blood and Injury, Broken Bones, Concussions, Forests, Gen, Head Injury, Hurt No Comfort, Whumptober 2020, Wilderness Survival
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:39:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27127327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jujus_writing_corner/pseuds/jujus_writing_corner
Summary: Eric and the Jims are on an adventure in the woods, but Eric expects they might be lost. As he finds out, though, things can always get worse.Whumptober Day 20: Toto, I Have A Feeling We’re Not In Kansas AnymorePrompt: Lost
Relationships: Eric/Jim Twins kinda
Series: Whumptober 2020 [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947961
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Down, Down, Down

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure how well this fits the prompt, but I'm proud of this story so idc :3
> 
> Enjoy!

“Hey, uh, guys?” Eric asks, stumbling over a rotting log.

“Yes, Anxious Jim?” replies RJ, looking over his shoulder at Eric and effortlessly stepping over tree roots. CJ glances back as well, equally as agile despite the debri of the forest floor.

“Do either of you actually, um, know where we’re going?”

“Well, no,” RJ admits, “But that’s the point! We’re here to discover news!” CJ nods happily.

Eric could’ve guessed that much; the Jims brought their more portable filming equipment with them, after all. Eric has his own backpack, having been assigned the job of carrying snacks and water. Despite the provisions, there is no map. Eric can’t help but be concerned, especially since he’s heard stories of the Jims getting lost before. Granted, they always either wander back home on their own or are found a few hours after they were supposed to come back, never the worse for wear. Still, Eric doesn’t enjoy the idea of potentially getting lost in the wilderness for a few hours.

Even if the Jims don’t strictly know where they’re going, they have a direction they’re sticking with, so Eric follows. He has to admit it’s fun to walk around in the woods and enjoy the sun and scenery, catching glimpses of animals here and there. The Jims film and photograph some of it, like the sparrow nest in a tree they walk under, or the butterfly on a wildflower they find, or the deer in the distance that CJ spots through the brush. But even nicer than all the scenery is the laughter and smiles of the Jims, for each expression of happiness from them makes Eric’s heart flutter the way no flora or fauna ever could. Though at the back of his mind he’s still worried about being lost, he can ignore it for the time being and enjoy the day.

Finally, they stop to eat some snacks and drink some water before turning around for home.

“You s-sure you, um, you know the way out?” Eric asks the Jims again.

_“Sure!”_ CJ signs, _“We just go back the way we came, that’s all. Jims are experts at tracking!”_

The Jims are as sure of themselves on their way home as they were on their way out. Eric has to wonder if they know where they’re going, but he has to admit he recognizes some of the trees and rocks that they pass. If the Jims are truly steering him right, they’ll be home just before sundown.

Their path isn’t just forest floor, though, just as it wasn’t just forest on the first leg of their adventure. They pass a lake full of croaking frogs, a section of swampland that nearly soaks their shoes, and walk alongside a ravine. Eric can only imagine the river that used to be in the steep canyon. The Jims walk right along the edge with no fear, peering into the ravine as they walk and marveling over it just as they did when they passed it earlier in the day. Eric also repeats what he did earlier and leaves a good few feet of space between himself and the edge, anxiously watching the Jims to make sure they don’t fall.

Unlike earlier, however, the Jims do fall.

The ground under RJ, walking a little ahead of CJ, crumbles first. Eric notices, shouts and runs to him, trying to help. CJ reaches for RJ too, but the place where he’s standing dissolves, too, sending them both down. Eric has no time to help either twin or get out of the way, and he falls, too.

Eric tumbles down the ravine, head over feet. He can’t get any control of his body, can’t grab anything to stop or slow his descent. The twins are falling too, screaming, but the world is spinning too fast for Eric to see anything. His glasses fly off at some point, his arms and legs smack against the sides of the ravine, against packed dirt and rock. Finally, the ground rushes up to meet him, and the world goes dark.

~~~

“AJ, AJ, oh no, come on, wake up!!”

Eric groans. His whole body is sore. He’s bleeding somewhere. His eyes flutter open to see RJ kneeling over him worriedly. RJ is bruised and battered, but doesn’t seem to have been badly hurt.

“Oh, AJ,” he gasps, “Are you okay??”

“I’m–” Eric tries to push himself up, but one arm painfully gives out. He cries out and falls back. “M-My arm…”

“It looks broken,” RJ says, “You, and CJ…”

Eric manages to get himself sitting up with only his right arm, and that’s when he notices that RJ has CJ’s head in his lap. There’s blood smeared on the side of his head, and his eyes are closed. Eric’s heart goes into his throat.

“He’s not…” Eric gasps, reaching out to CJ before he can stop himself. He manages not to touch CJ’s cheek and takes his hand instead. It’s still warm, at least, but Eric doesn’t know how to check for a pulse.

“N-No, I don’t think so,” RJ says, “But you’re both hurt, and me and CJ’s phones got busted when we fell.” RJ points to the side, where two broken cell phones lay in several pieces. “What about yours?”

Eric fishes his own phone out of his pocket, only to find the screen completely shattered. It’s not in multiple pieces like the Jims’ phones, but it won’t turn on.

“It’s b-broken, too,” Eric sighs, putting his phone with the Jims’. “We have, um, some snacks and water left, help me get this, get my backpack off.”

It’s awkward and difficult with CJ still in RJ’s lap and Eric’s left arm painfully broken, but the pair eventually manage to get the backpack off. Eric feels around and peers inside the bag before cringing.

“What?” asks RJ.

“The c-cap of one of the, the water bottles got smashed in the fall,” Eric says, “So we only have t-two left. There’s a couple, um, granola bars, but they’ve both been crushed to smith-, smither-, smith-, um, bits.” He holds up one of them. “They’re s-still in their wrappers though, so we could still, still eat them if we’re careful.”

“Oh,” RJ murmurs. His hands have gone back to holding CJ’s head, and his fingers nervously curl in CJ’s hair. “AJ, I think…” His eyes are wet. “I think we’re really lost now.”

Eric’s heart sinks to see RJ so upset, but he can’t help getting teary, too. With their phones broken, how can they get help? With CJ hurt, how can they escape the ravine? Even RJ going alone probably couldn’t scale it. The three of them are stuck down here, stuck until someone finds him. But who knows how long that could take? And all they have are two water bottles and two smashed granola bars to keep themselves going.

RJ and Eric move themselves to the wall of the ravine so they have something to lean against. After a while, RJ leaves to try and find something to start a fire with. In addition to his broken arm, Eric’s prosthetics are warped from his fall, so he stays where he is to look after CJ. He may have blushed a little when RJ moved CJ’s head into his lap, but luckily RJ didn’t seem to notice. It makes sense to keep CJ’s head on their laps; it’s warmer and softer than the ground, and CJ’s head is already hurt enough. Yet to have CJ so close and in such an intimate position makes Eric’s heart beat a little faster.

But when CJ’s eyes open, Eric’s heart turns to stone in his chest. His eyes are glassy, hazed with confusion, and one pupil is noticeably bigger than the other. Eric doesn’t know what that means, but it can’t possibly be good.

“CJ?” Eric asks. He brushes a bloody strand of hair out of his face. “Do you remember what happened?”

CJ shakes his head, then groans at the pain. He’s pale, and when he tries to sign, his hands don’t want to cooperate. Eric can’t understand what the muddled movements are supposed to mean, and he feels awful for it.

“I-I can’t, um, I can’t understand you, CJ,” Eric admits, “Just, just don’t worry!” He hurriedly assures as CJ frowns. “RJ’s getting firewood, and s-someone will find us, we’ll b-be, be okay.”

CJ gives up on trying to talk and merely curls up, burying his face in Eric’s stomach. Eric blushes again at the contact but rubs CJ’s back, trying to comfort him. It’s obvious that CJ is in pain, and Eric wishes he could do more. When RJ comes back with some wood, he’s relieved to see CJ awake but just as worried as Eric about his clunky hands and mismatched pupils.

Instead of being at home when the sun goes down, the trio are sitting at the base of a ravine before a small fire. Instead of getting dinner from one of Ego Inc.’s kitchens, they share the crushed granola bars and one of the water bottles. Despite their best efforts, RJ and Eric can only get CJ to eat a few crumbs and drink a few sips of water. RJ has to hold him up and feed him, but he’s afraid to choke him. CJ, meanwhile, is still too out of it to register much of anything. Eric is beside himself with fear, fear for CJ and his awful head injury, fear for himself and his broken arm that’s starting to go numb, and fear for RJ, who isn’t hurt badly but who could still easily starve or dehydrate if the trio aren’t found soon.

Eric and RJ try to keep CJ awake during the night, but they fail after a few hours. They’re too afraid of hurting him further to jostle him awake. They try to take turns staying awake to watch over CJ, but in truth, neither of them sleep at all. At some point, Eric leans into RJ’s shoulder, tears spilling from his eyes.

“I’m scared,” he whimpers. RJ puts an arm around him, squeezes him gently.

“Me too,” RJ replies.

Back in the morning, back when the group was wandering through the forest without a map or a care in the world, Eric didn’t feel half as lost as he does right now.

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment! They absolutely make my day :'3


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